Most Native American tribes believed that the souls of the dead passed into a spirit world and became part of the spiritual forces that influenced every aspect of their lives. Many tribes believed in two souls: one that died when the body died and one that might wander on and eventually die. Burial customs varied widely…

Coroner Recognition Week  January 27th – February 2nd with the focus day being January 29th.  The first American Coroner was Thomas Baldridge of St. Mary’s, Maryland Colony appointed on 29 January 1637. The National Coroner Recognition week and the thin line color purple is a project focused on bringing awareness to the job of a…

Serial killers hold the fascination of the public, whether in true crime news accounts of individuals such as Ted Bundy or fictional depictions such as the television shows Dexter and Criminal Minds or popular movies such as the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” or “Silence of the Lambs.” Serial killers seem so purely predatory and…

A few years ago, the third Monday in January was labeled Blue Monday by many experts in the mental health field. But no matter what day of the week it occurs on, Anita Agers-Brooks, common trauma expert, and author of Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over, believes January 21st is a good barometer to…

January 9th, 2019 There are over 900,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, and they are honored on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (L.E.A.D.), being shown that the community recognizes the difficulty of their job and supports them as they provide a public service. The day is dedicated to all members of law enforcement, but…

In this episode, I discuss the ending of the Coroner Talk Podcast and the decisions we made going forward.  After 4 years and 500 thousand downloads in over 140 countries, it was time to retire this work and move efforts somewhere else.   .         Death Investigator Magazine A digital magazine focused…

Post-Mortem Facial Reconstruction A Postmortem Reconstruction is developed by reconstructing facial characteristics of an unidentified deceased person with decomposed or damaged human tissue. The image will first show trauma to the victim and is repaired digitally or by applying paints directly to the photograph, covering the injured area making the features recognizable. The drawing repairs…

Many investigators are unaware of the extreme risks that are present when dealing with blood and bodily fluids. There are many bloodborne pathogens (BBP) infections that can be transmitted through contact with another person’s blood or bodily fluid that may contain blood including but not limited to, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. Most exposures…

I this episode I share the conversation  I had on the podcast Tending Your Dreams. The host draws out background information not regularly shared on this show. We also talk about the development of the Academy and the book CODE. This is an interesting episode because it gives a good behind the scenes look at…

Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, hyperhydration, overhydration, or water toxemia is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe limits by excessive water intake. Under normal circumstances, accidentally consuming too much water is exceptionally rare. Nearly all deaths related to water intoxication in normal individuals have resulted either…